Sealed
by ladyraelin
Summary: Years after Naraku's defeat, a boy sets out to find the father he's never met.


A/N: Hello, this is my first (published) fanfic, so you'll have to forgive me if the beginning is a little slow; I wanted to build up some exposition. This story will contain some spoilers for those who haven't read the most recent Inuyasha manga issues, so be warned. Also, since this takes place many years after the end of the series, it contains my conjecture for what happened. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own none of the Inuyasha characters.

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He was getting close.

A boy stood at the head of a valley in the late afternoon, squinting slightly as he tried to make out how far it was to the bottom in the fading light. Actually, he would have deeply resented being referred to as a "boy," but the fact remained that despite being fourteen years of age, he still had a distinctly boyish look about him. Somewhat short and round-faced, the boy appeared almost entirely human except for his eyes, which were unusually large, slitted, and pale yellow in color, and his fingernails, which upon closer inspection were overlong and extremely sharp. His long, dark hair hid ears which were pointed slightly, like a demon's. Indeed, anyone who met him for more than a few minutes would be certain that the boy carried at least some demon blood, but those that hadn't also met his sister were hard pressed to guess exactly how much. A hanyou, perhaps, but didn't hanyou usually have a more, well, demonic appearance? The boy's only feature which truly gave away his heritage were those highly disturbing eyes, which seemed almost to glow with a light of their own at times, and had a piercing quality that made others feel distinctly uncomfortable. He had never lost a staring contest in his life.

Right now, however, the boy was tired, and hoping to find a suitable place to spend the night. He'd been traveling on his own for a month now, and at last, at long last, he could tell that what he searched for was close by. An old sword, slung across his back because it was too long to hang at his hip, gave a small, encouraging pulse, and the boy patted it absently as he scanned the nearby trees and decided to make for the bottom of the valley, where he was fairly certain he could make out a stream.

A breeze came up from behind, and suddenly the boy tensed, all semblance of tiredness gone. Jerking his head around to look behind him, he sniffed slightly, then scowled and began making his way down the valley as quickly as the bulky sword and limited light would allow. _Damn_, he thought angrily. _She's nearly caught up with me._ The boy's sister was older, and had always been the better tracker. If she found him before he found what he was looking for, he'd never have another chance; his family would never let him out of their sight.

The last rays of the sun were about to disappear when he saw it. Kneeling next to the stream, the boy let out a small sigh of relief as he bent to take a drink, when suddenly, the sword began shaking and pulsing more than he had ever felt it do before. Pulling it off of his back, the boy looked quizzically at the shivering sword.

"Tenseiga," he muttered. "What…" But the rest of the sentence died in his throat, as the boy looked up and saw, almost completely hidden by the overhanging trees and undergrowth, the most gigantic demon he'd ever laid eyes on. It was a dog demon, that much he could see right away from his partial view of the jaw line and ears. Running up to it, he squinted in the failing light to make out the rest. It had been sealed, and several years ago, judging by the amount of plant growth around it. A huge claw was pinning the demon to the sloping valley floor.

The boy's heart began to race as he slowly approached the demon's head, lifting a large tree branch out of the way. Could it be…?

It was. A thin, purple crescent moon marked the demon's forehead. The boy shivered slightly, half afraid to believe what he was seeing as he gazed at the demon's still form, its eyes closed as if in sleep.

"I've finally found you," he breathed, clutching Tenseiga tightly. "Father…"


End file.
